Chapter 8: Meeting the Sect Leader (3)

People often refer to a place with beautiful scenery and a cozy atmosphere as a fairyland (仙景) or a Peach Blossom Spring (武陵桃源), meaning it is as beautiful as the world where immortals live.

However, this place was undoubtedly a real fairyland.

Chirp, chirp, chirp.

Small, beautiful birds sang from the trees.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Deer with lustrous fur grazed leisurely, completely ignoring the presence of others.

Trickle, trickle, trickle.

A stream flowed on one side, and the sky was clear without a single cloud.

Petals danced in the wind, swirling in their own dance. The warm breeze carried the scent of spring, and on one side, rare flowers and herbs bloomed profusely.

‘Wow...’

What is this?

It was clearly winter. Although the region was warmer than the north, it was still extremely cold.

But here, it’s spring?

‘What? Am I dreaming?’

Tian Xiazhen stood there with a blank expression, lifting his hand to stretch his cheeks.

It hurts.

‘Not a dream, then?’

Suddenly, Tian Xiazhen’s eyes sparkled.

‘Illusionary Formation (幻想陣)?!’

An Illusionary Formation is a formation that deceives the five senses, causing hallucinations and auditory illusions.

Since it’s winter, this scene doesn’t make sense. Moreover, he didn’t enter a building but was outside.

Therefore, this place must be an area covered by an Illusionary Formation.

However...

‘How can there be such a realistic formation?’

To be a professional assassin, one must have a certain level of expertise in formations.

To be called an Assassin King, one must have almost expert-level knowledge of formations.

Even Tian Xiazhen, who was an expert, found this Illusionary Formation so realistic that he was unsure.

It was almost at the top level of the martial world, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it so.

‘Well, it’s nice anyway.’

He had always dreamed of retiring and living in a large house in such a place. This was exactly the ideal location he had imagined.

As he opened his mouth to look around, a voice called out.

“Over here.”

Huh, what a surprise!

Tian Xiazhen turned his head toward the source of the voice.

“...!”

A large pavilion came into his view.

A pavilion that wasn’t there a moment ago. If there had been such a large and ancient pavilion, he would have noticed it.

And there, a man in a dragon robe sat with his back turned.

Grip.

His fingers involuntarily clenched into a fist.

After staring at the man’s back for a moment, Tian Xiazhen slowly moved his steps.

Step, step.

Each step was cautious and careful.

Then, something amazing happened.

Swish.

Grass grew up to his shins where he stepped, and as he lifted his foot, it withered and crumbled.

With each step, new grass sprouted, and as he lifted his foot, it withered and died.

Each step carried life, and the next step carried death. But Tian Xiazhen, focused on the man’s back, didn’t notice this.

Tian Xiazhen walked as if enchanted.

The man, who had been sipping from a cup, raised his eyes.

‘Life and death (生死)?’

He slowly put down the cup and looked around.

The peaceful atmosphere of the fairyland was gradually encroaching on the edge of his world, which was a cliff.

‘...Interesting.’

How much time had passed?

Startle!

Tian Xiazhen, who had already reached the opposite side of the pavilion, suddenly stopped.

He felt an indescribable sense of unease.

‘Huh?’

Tian Xiazhen quickly looked around.

The world was the same as before. Rare flowers and herbs bloomed, and deer and birds roamed peacefully.

‘I definitely felt something strange, though...’

Startle!

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up his spine to the back of his neck.

‘...’

Tian Xiazhen shuddered and rubbed his neck.

It felt like he had been stung by a bee. The sharp pain made him fully alert.

‘What... I don’t know why...’

His previously dazed eyes now shone with a strong light.

‘This place is dangerous.’

The mind and body are ultimately one.

Although he had never had a peaceful day in his life, the three months of luxury had made his mind and body more flexible.

However, the instincts of an assassin, honed over a lifetime, wouldn’t disappear in just three months.

The instinctive cries that had echoed countless times in his life awakened in this new environment.

And it told him that this place was not safe.

Knowing something intellectually and deeply ‘understanding’ it are entirely different.

Tian Xiazhen finally realized that this place was truly dangerous.

How dangerous?

‘Dangerous enough to suppress even the instincts etched into the soul!’

He took a step onto the stairs.

Thump.

His heart beat.

Thump, thump.

The gradually audible gaze slowly opened the world above.

Swish.

Finally, Tian Xiazhen ascended the pavilion.

“Sit down.”

Rumble.

The well-prepared voice that seemed to have been waiting struck him powerfully. Tian Xiazhen’s throat convulsed as he swallowed.

A man came into his view.

The man was leaning on one arm, sitting diagonally, and pouring wine with a lazy movement.

Drip, drip.

The cup slowly filled.

But Tian Xiazhen’s gaze was drawn not to the cup but to the man himself.

‘Huge!’

He was truly a towering figure.

At a glance, he was almost seven feet tall, with broad shoulders that evoked the image of a mountain.

His hands were so large that a fairly thick wine bottle was completely wrapped in his fingers.

His disheveled hair covered half his face, and the inner robe he wore under his loosely draped dragon robe was so disheveled that his chest was almost entirely exposed.

His bulging yet smooth pectoral and abdominal muscles were a sight to behold.

His partially exposed face was hard to age.

Lush hair that hadn’t been touched by frost and skin without a single wrinkle. But he didn’t look young at all.

Despite his imposing size, he exuded a very lazy and decadent aura.

This aura was created not by the vigor of youth but by the seasoned and composed demeanor of a master.

‘The Sect Leader of the Demon Sect!’

Finally, he was meeting the current leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

The moment he faced Li Tianxiang, the Ninth Great Heavenly Demon (九大天魔) who had received the divine name of the Heavenly Demon nine times in history.

* * *

“Has the Third Disciple entered?”

“Yes.”

The middle-aged man, Wu Tan, the Great Law Enforcer of the Demon Sect, looked at the door with a complicated expression.

The silent Wu Tan.

A man standing beside him with a stern expression spoke.

“Is there something troubling you?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“I apologize. I spoke out of turn.”

Wu Tan didn’t respond again.

How much time passed?

“Since the Sect Leader’s reign, only two people other than the Sect Leader have entered the Demon Subduing Pavilion.”

His calm voice carried undeniable tension and concern.

“Once, twenty-five years ago, when the Sect Leader took his first disciple.”

The man’s eyes sparkled.

“The first disciple...?”

“Yes.”

“Then, the First Disciple?”

“No. The First Disciple became the Sect Leader’s disciple exactly twenty years ago.”

“Before the current First Disciple, there was another disciple?”

“Yes. And that disciple, whom you don’t know, died in this Demon Subduing Pavilion.”

“...!”

“He was torn to pieces as if by beasts.”

The man’s face turned pale.

“The Sect Leader...?”

“If the Sect Leader had intended to kill him, he wouldn’t have brought him here.”

That’s true. So it was even more incomprehensible.

The man, who had never entered the Demon Subduing Pavilion, didn’t know what kind of place it was.

He only knew that it was a private pavilion the Sect Leader often used.

“Then, who was the other person who entered this place?”

“The Chief Military Advisor.”

“...!”

“The supreme authority who oversees all matters of the sect.

The only man in the sect who rose to the position of second only to the Sect Leader through his intellect rather than martial arts. He was the second person to enter the Demon Subduing Pavilion.”

“He...”

“Yes. He walked out confidently.”

Wu Tan’s eyes deepened.

“Today, the Demon Subduing Pavilion opens for the third time. Will the Third Disciple return alive?”

* * *

The rising tension drained the strength from his legs and pounded his abdomen and back.

After the single word to sit, Li Tianxiang remained silent, merely filling and emptying the cup with slow movements.

Creak, creak.

Tian Xiazhen took a deep breath and took another step.

When he was about five steps away from the wine table.

“I greet the Sect Leader.”

Li Tianxiang’s eyes sparkled.

Tian Xiazhen stopped, bowed, and greeted him. A subtle sincerity emanated from him.

‘...’

Li Tianxiang, who had been staring at him, moved the cup to the opposite side.

Drip, drip.

“Take it.”

Tian Xiazhen straightened his back, sat down, and picked up the cup.

The wine swirled. The pungent yet luxurious aroma made his head spin.

After closing his eyes for a moment to savor the aroma, Tian Xiazhen drained the cup.

‘Ah, so good!’

After drinking cheap white wine for so long, the sensation of this wine made his limbs tingle.

He almost let out a sigh of admiration but held it back and carefully placed the cup down, straightened his posture, and looked at Li Tianxiang.

‘...!’

He’s different.

Facing Li Tianxiang across a small table, his presence was overwhelmingly powerful.

Even without emitting any aura, the authority was like a mountain.

Every light gesture, every short breath, exuded a heavy pressure.

‘The title of Supreme Master of the Demon Sect and King of Ten Thousand Demons is not exaggerated.’

Although he was more skilled in politics than martial arts, the old man, the leader of the Righteous Heaven Alliance, was one of the Ten Great Martial Experts.

The Iron-Blooded City Lord, whom he had never seen, was probably at a similar level. He himself was a step below these two.

This man is different.

A martial god (武神) who stands at the top of the world, not confined by the title of the Ten Great Martial Experts.

A half-immortal (半仙) who roamed in a completely different dimension, worthy of being revered as a god by demons.

He was amazed.

‘Why hasn’t he stepped into the martial world, being so strong?’

Was he uninterested in the Demon Sect’s dominance?

As Tian Xiazhen wondered, Li Tianxiang spoke.

“Why did you want to see me?”

The words, thrown out casually, carried no emotion. They were the epitome of indifference.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

So cold.

Aren’t we master and disciple? Is this how master and disciple usually interact in this place?

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Tian Xiazhen cleared his throat a couple of times. Clearly, this man didn’t like beating around the bush.

Let’s be straightforward.

“I have a request...”

“A request?”

Was he surprised? Li Tianxiang’s eyes sparkled again.

“What kind of request?”

The tension didn’t lessen. Tian Xiazhen swallowed. He was a bit nervous about actually saying it.

But, to gain freedom, he had to take the risk.

“Ahem! Well... I...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Can I leave the sect...?”

Li Tianxiang looked at Tian Xiazhen silently.

Tian Xiazhen felt cold sweat trickling down his back.

Damn, idiot! Speak more confidently, more confidently! Just say, “I’m going out for a bit!” or “I want to feel the outside air!” That would be fine, right?

“Can I leave the sect?” What kind of request is this, with no beginning or end?!

‘Damn, it’s too intense!’

The pressure was overwhelming. His back was drenched in sweat just from uttering those few words.

‘At least I said it.’

He’ll allow it, right?

Yes, he will.

It’s not like I’m planning to cause trouble; it’s just a short outing. With my body in this state, how can he not grant a disciple’s request?

He even put on a pitiful expression and relaxed his tense body to create the right atmosphere.

His pride was a bit hurt, but once he left here, his brutal life in the Demon Sect would be over.

A new life for Tian Xiazhen would begin. For that, he could even dance in front of the Sect Leader.

How much time passed?

Li Tianxiang, who had been staring at Tian Xiazhen, picked up his cup.

“Follow me.”

“Yes.”

Tian Xiazhen respectfully filled his cup.

Li Tianxiang, who slowly drained his cup, spoke.

“You want to leave the sect?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to sever ties with the sect?”

Tian Xiazhen blinked.

Eh... I was planning to, but I just said I wanted to leave the sect.

Ah! I see, this could be misunderstood.

Tian Xiazhen quickly spoke.

“What I meant was...”

“Do you dislike being my disciple?”

“Eh? No! That’s not what I meant...”

“Then, are you giving up already because your body is in such a state?”

“That’s...”

“Is that all you are capable of?”

Sssss.

Li Tianxiang’s eyes sank deep, infinitely deep.

Tian Xiazhen’s throat convulsed uncontrollably.

‘...Damn.’

Screw it.